The present invention relates in general to recharging of electric vehicles at remote recharging stations, and, more specifically, to coordination between a utility provider and a cellular telephone provider for handling activation and billing for recharging services.
The number of electric vehicles, such as battery-powered cars, in use on public roadways is increasing due to energy-related and pollution control issues. In order to support a large fleet of electric vehicles, widespread availability is needed for recharging stations to remotely charge vehicles when away from home. Deployment of recharging outlets/stations depends on the ability of an owner or operator of the recharging station to receive compensation from users who charge their vehicles at the respective power outlets. Recharging stations can be built to accept cash or credit payments, but this requires the driver/user to be always prepared with such cash or a credit card. It is also costly to implement for the owner/operator of the outlet because of the added hardware and intelligence to handle such payments. Individual recharging stations may or may not be owned and operated by the electric power company itself. When operated by the power company, there may not be other facilities or personnel at a recharging outlet for handling payment. Some businesses such as parking garages may desire to install outlets for use by customers, and many would prefer to allow the user to pay the electric power company directly (whether or not such business gets a portion of what the user pays). Thus, it would be desirable to provide a universal access and billing method for recharging of electric vehicles at remote recharging stations.